College Board to name Delta State leader finalist

JACKSON — College Board officials say the board will name its preferred candidate for the next president of Delta State University on Friday.

The board, which oversees Delta State and Mississippi’s other seven public universities, plans a news conference to name the choice. After a campus tour, the board typically votes to confirm its preferred candidate.

Board members held closed meetings in recent weeks to interview seven candidates recommended by a campus search committee.

John Hilpert, who has led the 4,800-student school since 2003, announced his retirement last year. He’s the longest serving president of a public university in Mississippi.

The College Board recently named Rodney Bennett as president of the University of Southern Mississippi. Only Mississippi Valley State University would lack a permanent leader if Delta State gets a new chief.